


Thrice

by Tashilover



Series: In between spaces [1]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Implied D/M, implied dub-con, magical au, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 06:52:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/607035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tashilover/pseuds/Tashilover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The things that go bump in the night are sometimes sitting right next to you on the flight deck. Magical AU.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Based off a prompt in the CP meme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thrice

Carolyn chose to have only one child. She knew only the first born will have immunity against the supernatural and she couldn't bear the thought of not giving such advantage to her other children. This decision made Gordon  _extremely_ angry. The day he tried to sabotage her birth control pills was the day she decided it was time for divorce.

If Carolyn gave Arthur nothing, at least she gave him this. He will fear no evil, no magic, no manipulation of his emotions or thoughts. Every decision will be his own and only his.

She knew Douglas was a half-breed the second he walked through her office door. Unlike other half-breeds, Douglas' appearance was quite subtle. His skin was not an orange colour, or were his ears pointy. His teeth were straight, his eyes not golden, and his tongue not forked. The only idication he gave he was of mixed blood was the way he flared his nostrils.

He was sniffing the air, Carolyn could see, smelling for magic and other such dangers. She knew the moment he realized she was first born from the way his eyes narrowed in on her. If he held any plans to glamour her, he would never tell.

It was usually at that moment most creatures turn and leave, suddenly unhappy knowing they could never trick her into doing their bidding. But Douglas, he stayed, proving to Carolyn he rarely relied on magic to get what he wanted. His voice and his quick mind were his weapons, ultimately proving to Carolyn had he been a full-blooded creature, he would probably be ruling this world.

She hired him immediately.

 

 

 

"You smell funny."

Martin blinked up at Douglas. Hesitantly, he sniffed his shirt. "No, I don't. My cologne is not that strong."

"It's not your cologne," Douglas said, crossing his arms. "Though I admit, it does smell foul. But your natural scent, Martin... I've never noticed it until now. It smells funny."

"You  _smell_  me?" Martin inwardly winced. "That's... creepy."

"I'm a half-breed, Martin. It's just natural for me to seek out the scent of anyone who has magical properties."

"I don't have magical properties."

"I know that," Douglas huffed. "But even non-magical people have a certain scent to them. It's hard to describe. Are you wearing a magical talisman?"

Martin shifted uneasily. "No. I can't afford those."

"Hmmm... what about something more natural? Do you have a blade made out of aloes wood? Do you have lavender in your pocket? Are you carrying silver?"

"Uh... no..."

"Really?" Douglas said surprised. "Are you carrying anything?"

Martin shrugged. "My wallet."

"Martin! You're telling me you're not carrying any protection?"

At his implication, Martin gaped. "I-I am not that type of man who just assumes a woman-"

"You idiot, I don't mean that. I meant magical protection."

"Oh..." He shook his head.

It was almost unheard of. Everyone Douglas ever knew always carried something to ward the effects of supernatural creatures. Even priests, who declared the only protection they needed was God, carried pure silver or the feather of a hummingbird. Even the most kind hearted of creatures sometimes cannot resist temptation.

And a temptation Martin was. Though Martin never revealed this to anyone, Douglas knew the moment he saw him.

Martin was a virgin.

It was a trait all creatures loved. It was perhaps, the number one barganing chip a human could have- right after a human soul. Douglas have known women who've sold their virginity to creatures in exchange for literally hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Though there were strict laws for creatures to use their powers to trick people into giving them what they want, many of them would gladly break it just to get a taste of virgin flesh.

Even Douglas, who had better restraint than others, occasionally found himself looking at Martin's long neck and longing to taste it.

"You know, you can find yourself a natural protection once we get back home," Douglas suggested. It wouldn't be right for Martin to walk around like a flashing billboard. "Keep a ginger root in your pocket, or keep a packet of mountain ash with you."

Martin nodded in agreement. "Okay," he said. "I'll do that."

 

 

 

 

A few days later Martin showed up to work with a small bottle of purified eagle tears hanging around his neck. He indicated to them to show Douglas. "Satisfied now?"

Douglas wasn't. Many con-artists loved selling fake talismans to ignorant humans. He held out his hand. "Let me see."

Handing over your protection was a foolish move and had Martin been anybody else, Douglas would have laughed in their face about how stupid they were. This was not the time to berate Martin on such things and said nothing as Martin dropped the necklace into Douglas' open palm.

Douglas held up the bottle to the light. Shook the contents. Then very carefully, pulled out the tiny cork and sniffed.

The contents were genuine, though it was a weak protection. Only low level creatures like pixies would be deflected.

Still, Douglas supposed as he replaced the cork and handed the necklace back to Martin, it was better than nothing. "This is fine for now, but you need to get something better."

"I can't afford anything better," Martin mumbled as he slipped back on the necklace.

"Then keep your wits about you. Supernatural creatures won't be deterred by that. Not if they're determined."

Because Carolyn and Arthur were first borns, MJN was well known for carrying supernatural creature without the natural restrictions other airlines had. Knowing there were so many creatures flying on this plane while a unravished Martin piloted put Douglas on edge.

He could see how many of them came on board, their nostrils flaring when they caught the whiff of virgin flesh. When it was time for Martin to greet them personally, they would smile more, revealed more teeth. They would flirt with him, but kept a constant eye on Carolyn. They knew she wouldn't let them cast glamour on her plane.

Martin, despite his poor choice in protection, never appeared to be affected by their efforts. He never accepted their invitations for drinks, never batted an eye at their unique colored skin or eyes. Only someone with grand willpower could resist such temptations without the use of protection. Douglas admired Martin for that.

Gerald Lyle was a normal looking bloke. Like Douglas, he did not share many characteristics of a half-breed. His eyes were not coloured, his skin not tinted. Normal looking indeed, but  _strong_. The amount of magic he wielded was incredible.

Douglas always considered himself a decent magic user, better than most, but compared to Gerald, he was just a fly that could be swatted at any time.

Why he picked MJN to fly himself across the world when he could've easily teleported was a mystery.

"You don't find this suspicious?"

Carolyn bit at her thumbnail. It was a habit she wasn't aware of. Last time Douglas saw her bite her thumb, Arthur had slipped and badly twisted his ankle. "Oh, I find it very suspicious. But his credentials check out and his money is good. I have no reason to turn him away."

"What about Martin?"

" _What_  about Martin?"

"Carolyn," Douglas began in disbelief. "The man is a virgin. You know as well as I he's a buffet spread with a neon sign flashing 'eat me.' If you put him in front of a creature like Gerald, we may have some trouble."

"Martin applied for this job with full knowledge of what we specialize in," Carolyn stated confidently, taking her thumb out of her mouth. There was something she knew, something she wasn't telling him. "If he couldn't handle someone like Gerald Lyle, then I would have never had hired him."

Now that's interesting. "So why did you hire him?"

Carolyn grinned. "That's not my story to tell."

 

 

 

Douglas watched as Gerald inspected GERTI. The half-breed moved about the aeroplane like he was dancing a waltz, his arms stretched out and twirling. Arthur was having the time of his life watching him.

"This is wonderful," Gerald sighed happily. "It's so nice to be on a plane without magical restrictions written on every piece of metal. I feel like I can breath."

Douglas tried not to flinch at the amount of magic pouring from this half-man. It was thick as rotten milk. It put Douglas on edge and he fought down the urge to raise his own magical defenses. If he did, Gerald would certainly sense it and would see it as a challenge. Douglas did not want to get into a magical confrontation with this man. He would certainly lose.

As predicted, the person Gerald paid most attention to was Martin.

"Captain," he purred. "Captain, captain, captain... has anyone told you you're a handsome man?"

Martin blushed. "Not... um, often..."

 

Douglas gritted his teeth. Martin must know the only reason Gerald was paying any attention to him was because of his virginity. It didn't help Gerald kept throwing knowing glances towards Douglas.

_Mine_.

"C'mon, Captain," Douglas announced loudly, pulling Martin by the arm towards the cockpit. "Time to fly the plane."

Gerald giggled from behind them.

Once they were in the safety of the cockpit, Douglas knew he wasn't going to feel safe during this whole flight, not unless he knew Martin could be protected. God, he wished Carolyn never agreed to this trip.

Martin pulled his arm out of Douglas' grasp. "You're overreacting."

"Am I?" Though the cockpit was heavily protected against all types of magic, Douglas could still sense Gerald like he was standing right next to him. "Give him another ten seconds and he would have glamoured you into taking your pants off."

"I would have known if he tried such a thing. Stop treating him like a criminal when he hasn't done anything yet!"

Douglas gritted his teeth. Was Martin really that ignorant of the magical world? While many humans refused to cross that line- and risk losing their soul to something worse than a leprecaun- they were well aware of the dangers that surrounded them. Martin shouldn't be talking to Gerald anymore than a child should talk to a complete stranger.

There was no other way to do it.

Douglas reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. He held it out toward Martin. "Here."

Martin eyed the red liquid inside the vial. "What, what is it?"

"It's my blood."

Martin gaped. As ignorant as he was, everybody understood what this was.

Blood magic was only done under extreme circumstances, and it usually only occured between a parent and child. To willingly give someone your fae blood meant ultimate protection for that person. But should that person  _lose_  that blood, it could prove disasterous for all parties.

Only if Martin accepted it.

"No."

Douglas pulled back, stunned. "What?"

"I said no," Martin repeated, turning his head away from the vial of blood. "I could lose it and where would you be? I am not putting your life in danger because you're a little paranoid about our passenger."

Douglas sputtered. " _Little_? Martin, that man will glamour you the moment he gets you alone!"

"If he tries tries, he will fail. Put that away, I said no."

"Mar-"

"That's an order, Douglas."

 

 

 

For the rest of the flight, Douglas  _seethed_.

It was no easy thing, willing to hand over his blood like it was a pointless gesture. If Martin was so worried about losing the vial, he could have just as easily handed back the blood after the flight, as soon as Gerald was no longer an issue. To treat the blood like it was an unwanted gift from your grandmother made Douglas' stomach churn with anger.

The flight was only three hours long and he spent the entire time in silence. He wondered if Martin  _wanted_  to be taken by Gerald, wanted to lose his virginity to this half-breed. He wondered if Martin expected compensation, like the women who sold their virginity at high prices.

Was that what Martin was doing? Selling himself?

"So how much are you getting?"

Martin startled. He was just leaning over, finishing the last of the shut-down procedures. "What?"

"How much money are getting from Gerald?" Douglas said in an ugly tone. "I'd imagine a half-breed like him would pay up to a million pounds for a pure human."

"A pure...?"

The implication dawned on Martin. His cheeks turned scarlet. " _That's_  what you think I'm doing? You think I'm  _selling myself_?"

"Why else would you refuse my blood?" Douglas sneered. He didn't understand why he was getting so worked up about this. If Martin wanted to sell his virginity to the highest bidder, so be it. More power to him. But he couldn't stop the spew of bile insults from coming out of his mouth. "Unless you want to be taken. So tell me, Martin. How much is he giving you? I hope it's worth it."

The blush rose all the way up to Martin's ears. He sputtered. "I-I can't believe you would think so lowly of me! How dare you-! How..."

Martin surged to his feet. " _Follow me_ ," he hissed, stomping his way out the cockpit.

Confused, Douglas followed.

Gerald was just ready to depart the plane, Arthur and Carolyn bidding him good-bye. As soon as he caught sight of Martin, a grin broke out onto his face. "Captain!" he purred seductively. "I thought you weren't going to see me off."

"Of course not," Martin said in a calm, knowing tone. "That would be rude of me. I hope you have a nice and pleasant day."

He stuck out a hand to shake.

Douglas nearly stepped in. Martin might as well just leapt into Gerald's arms, the way he allowed such an open invitation to be touched.

Gerald didn't even hesitate. He gripped Martin's hand, and immediately a swirl of magic wrapped around him, pouring suggestions to leap into Gerald's bed. There was no way Douglas could ever hope to overpower such suggestions. For a second, he thought Martin was lost.

Until he noticed Carolyn was fighting hard to keep a smirk off her face.

Arthur was hiding behind his hands, unable to keep his grin subdued. His eyes were twinkling mischievously.

Gerald eventually drew back, staring down at his hand like it suddenly grew an extra finger. Martin was smiling politely at him, bid him a farewell, and showed him out of the aeroplane.

Gerald walked away with sagged shoulders, plainly defeated.

Douglas waited till the half-breed was out of earshot when he demanded, "What the hell was that?"

"It's the reason why I hired Martin in the first place," Carolyn said smugly.

"What?"

Martin stuck his hand out to Douglas. "You try," he said, indicating he knew full well what a willing handshake meant.

Douglas didn't like this feeling of being left out of the loop. It made him defensive. He gripped Martin's hand, allowing the smallest of magic to flow in between them.

Nothing happened.

Douglas blinked in surprise. It was like his magic hit a brick wall. He tried again.

Nothing happened.

Readjusting his grip, Douglas focused all his energy through his hand, determined to break through this little defense Martin apparently had erected.

Abruptly, Douglas pulled his hand away. His whole arm was throbbing, shaking from the way his magic kept hitting Martin's impenetrable wall and bouncing back.

Martin was still smiling.

"You're immune!" Douglas gasped, rubbing his arm as it ached. "Only one in ten-"

"Million are immune. Yes, I know, Douglas."

Douglas felt sick to his stomach, realizing what this all meant. The reason why Carolyn hired Martin, why Martin had such confidence Gerald could not coerce him. Why Martin never bothered with any talisman- he never needed them.

Martin was a magic-user's worst nightmare. Douglas was surprised he hand't been pulled into the army. That sort of immunity was priceless.

"I'm going to be in the porta-cabin," Martin announced loudly to Douglas, breaking his thoughts. "When you feel like apologizing, that's where I'll be."

 

 

 

How such a secret was ever kept from Douglas, he will never know. Carolyn was capable of keeping her lips shut, but it amazed him how Arthur never bothered to let slip Martin's immunity.

Martin was waiting for him, like he said. He sat at the dingy little plastic table in the porta cabin, his back stiff, arms crossed and face forced into a scowl. On any other day Douglas would have laughed at him- the young man looked like an angry puppy- but Douglas was in the wrong today. There was no arguing with that.

Douglas took a seat across from Martin. "I apologize, Martin. I didn't know you were immune, I should have trusted you when it comes to making your own decisions. I have no right to be judegmental towards you and I apologize if I ever made you uncomfortable."

Martin considered this. He sighed suddenly, letting his shoulders drop. "Yes... well... even if I wasn't immune, you still should've trusted me."

"You're absolutely right and I'm sorry for my lack of faith... but you shouldn't have turned away my blood, Martin."

"I didn't need it!"

"I understand that, but you still shouldn't have rejected it. Rejecting my blood like that you might as well spat in my eye. It's considered a great insult."

"Yes, why  _did_  you give that blood?" Martin asked suddenly, eyeing Douglas suspiciously. "Creatures of the night do not give blood away easily. Last time I heard a creature gave away blood was to his children. I am not your child, Douglas, I am just your co-worker."

Suddenly this conversation went the wrong way. Douglas felt an embrrassing blush creep on his face and he tried to find an out. "You're the captain of an airplane," he said, slowly inching towards the door. "If you were glamoured, you would put us all in danger."

Martin stepped in front him. "Don't lie to me. You would never given me your blood unless I was that important to you." He slowly began to smile as those words took hold. "Oh, am I that important to you, Douglas?"

Douglas felt his cheeks burn. "No."

"Liar."

Martin laughed as the blush turned scarlet. "Oh, Douglas..." He stepped forward suddenly, reaching in and grabbing the vial of blood right out of Douglas' pocket.

Douglas gaped at him. He had a level seven anti-theft spell put on his pockets. The world's best pick-pocket wouldn't get past that.

Martin jiggled the vial. "I guess this is mine, then? I suppose it would be a smart thing to have, it'll deter supernatural creatures who don't know who I am. Unless..."

He held out the vial for Douglas to take.

"You don't think I'm able to handle the responsibility."

Douglas tried to rationalize this. Tried to think like a human and not as a creature of the world. Martin didn't need his blood. Will never need his blood. He shouldn't even be a an airline pilot, he should be working for the government, stopping magical terrorists and disarming spell bombs.

Despite the logic of it all and knowing the risk, Douglas curled his hand around Martin's, covering the vial. "No, you keep it."

 

 

The very next day as Douglas entered the flight deck, Martin dramatically swooned in his chair.

"Douglas! Save me from the evil creatures of the night!"

Douglas moaned. "Oh  _God_ , I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"Regret not saving me? Of course you are! Help me, Douglas! You're my only hope!"

As Douglas took his seat, he was reminded once again why humans ran the earth and not the other way around. There was no competing with people like Carolyn, Arthur or Martin.

Douglas never had a chance.


End file.
